my paper, “Practicing Screaming: Aesthetic Explanations, Aesthetic Value, and the Screamed Vocals Problem” has now been published online! it’s in Contemporary Aesthetics (an open access journal), so it’s free to read! Here’s the link: contempaesthetics.org/2026/05/29/p...

My paper "The Ethics and Aesthetics of True Crime" is now out in The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism! It's currently available for free as an "Editor's Choice" article, so grab it while you can! doi.org/10.1093/jaac... @wellesley.edu @academic.oup.com @amersocaesthetics.bsky.social #philsky

It’s book release day! I’m back on social media! I feel slightly awkward about it because part of the book is about how social media transforms your motivations for communication! But honestly writing a book is lonely, weird basement-work, and now I want to talk to people about this weird jank.

If you are looking for a gift that will really get inside someone’s head and subtly undermine their confidence (and who isn’t?!), might I recommend gifting them a copy of ‘awkwardness’ with zero context or explanation? Now on sale for $17, but hurry— only 9 copies left! a.co/d/bw2KIaS

Angela Sun argues that consent must always be revocable. Even when someone intends their consent to be binding "no matter what," revocation dissolves the permission. This protects bodily integrity even when we're not in a "sound state of mind." journals.publishing.umich.edu/phimp/articl...

My one holiday shopping plug for my books. Super cheap now (under $15) *What to Save and Why* is "a clear, accessible, thought-provoking book" per the NYRB *Drawing the Line* "feels like a friend talking you through different angles on a problem that's been bothering you for years" per the LARB

Coming soon(ish)

"There is no playbook for reducing exposure when people’s homes are being sprinkled with lead dust from the sky." A sobering piece from the NYTimes on the dire consequences of the international trade in recycled lead for front-line communities in Africa. #energysky www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

And then there's Eddie Izzard on the "American slang" use of donut with a more positive valence: youtube.com/watch?v=1GaDAjHKYC4&themeRefresh=1

The Routledge Handbook of Nature and Environmental Aesthetics is now out. Lots of great stuff, including a chapter by me on Beauty and Love of Place. Check it out, and ask your library to get a copy! #philsky

When a typo in your Google search leads to new and exciting philosophical positions

My revised and expanded entry on the Ethics of Cultural Heritage is now live in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy! Appropriation, repatriation, monuments, and more, as well as a new section on the nascent aesthetic injustice literature. #philsky plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethi...

Grateful to Carolyn Korsmeyer for her thoughtful review of What to Save and Why in Mind! #philsky academic.oup.com/mind/advance...

One of the conclusions of my discussion of cancel culture in Drawing the Line is that it's generally a bad idea to cancel artists and performers (or most anyone, really) for things that they *say* (in contrast with things that they *do*). Sadly seeing more evidence for why this is true. #philsky

This paper from 7 years ago suddenly relevant again in the face of Trump's new "review" of Smithsonian exhibitions. #philsky www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

If anyone on here still wants a copy of What to Save and Why but hasn't gotten one yet, you can grab it on Amazon for $10 and change! www.amazon.com/What-Save-Wh...

Characteristically great piece by @add-hawk.bsky.social. Makes me wonder how many of us studied creative writing and yet somehow ended up... here. dailynous.com/2025/07/15/b...

Fantastic to see What to Save and Why reviewed in the New York Review of Books! #philsky

Sobering piece in @nytimes.com compares China's advances in clean energy to the U.S.'s retrenchment in fossil fuels. Hard to read at a moment when the U.S. is giving up on a more affordable, healthier, and more sustainable future. www.nytimes.com/interactive/... 🧪🔌💡☀️💨🔋

I keep thinking the price on What to Save and Why can't possible get lower, but it's now down to $13 and change. Good time to grab a copy if you haven't! #philsky www.amazon.com/What-Save-Wh...

Nice to see What to Save and Why in the TLS! @wellesley.edu @oupphilosophy.bsky.social

Check me out in The Saturday Evening Post for Earth Day! #philsky

Who we are is defined in part by the things that we think are worth caring for, and whether we care for these things, in turn, shapes our sense of self.

Woo hoo!!! My amazing @wellesley.edu ES colleague, @jayturner.bsky.social has been awarded a Guggenheim fellowship, for his excellent upcoming project: www.gf.org/stories/anno...

@xphilosopher.bsky.social this looks so cool! law.yale.edu/yls-today/ne...

Timely in light of NEH cuts... @zocalopublicsquare.bsky.social #philsky www.zocalopublicsquare.org/right-now-th...

What to Save and Why is on sale for just $21.90! As one Amazon reviewer wrote: "Yes, it is philosophy, but it is written in a way that engages anyone with an interest in these issues." Anyone could include you! #philsky www.amazon.com/What-Save-Wh...

but somehow people think that being able to multiply large numbers mentally should mean that you get to decide whose grandma gets healthcare or something and it turns out that's actually a very stupid thought

Reports of yet another battery project on the rocks: Freyr Battery is canceling plans for its $2.6B gigafactory in Georgia, which promised 723 jobs and 34 GWh of annual battery manufacturing capacity. This project did not have a DOE loan. www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2025/02/06/f... 🔌💡 🔌🚗

I wrote about 5 books I would save from my personal library for The New Books Network newsletter. newbooksnetwork.substack.com/p/truth-matt...

Once upon a time, I worked in a museum gift shop. I wrote about an important lesson I learned there for Zócalo Public Square. #philsky #museums #conservation www.zocalopublicsquare.org/right-now-th... Hope @wellesleycollege.bsky.social folks will enjoy. It's very Non Ministrari sed Ministrare.

I was on BBC Radio Scotland this morning to talk about What to Save and Why. I'm sure as heck not going to listen to it, but you can catch it around the 10-minute mark here if you're interested. #philsky www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Happy to share that Drawing the Line is now out in paperback! I think the book works really well for undergraduate courses in ethics or philosophy of art (it's been taught at over 20 colleges and universities, including UCLA, UVA, UT-Austin, Holy Cross, Harvard, and MIT). #philsky

What to Save and Why in The Irish Times! #philsky

An important milestone for me: first time writing an introduction (in Chinese) for a book published in Taiwan! It's the translation of @ehatmat.bsky.social 's Drawing the Line, which I heartily recommend, in any language! My intro: philpapers.org/rec/LIAVGE

Cover for the new Traditional Chinese translation of Drawing the Line! #philsky

So exciting to see What to Save and Why @harvardbookstore.bsky.social last night!!

If you'd liked to learn more about What to Save and Why, check out my interview with @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social #philsky newbooksnetwork.com/what-to-save...

A starter pack for folks who want to follow @wellesleycollege.bsky.social faculty and staff. Happy to add more folks: just let me know.

OK team, this is my one holiday shopping plug for my books. They're written for a general audience, so anyone can enjoy them! They are smol and adorable and can fit in your back pocket. Give your loved ones the gift of reading and thinking! #philsky

Oof, this dude in the focus group is really hurting the name-brand of Erichs.

Elsewhere in the Hatala Academic Universe... Great work, Kevin!

oh wow, possibly one of the best citations of my work ever.

I haven’t already seen one, so I made a starter pack for aesthetics/philosophy of art! I’m sure I am missing people, so please let me know who to add! Also let me know if you want off of here! #philsky go.bsky.app/1Ekzcj

This little review really captures the heart of What to Save and Why : )

Followed the lead of @jackiehmatthes.bsky.social and deactivated Twttter. It's a great feeling.

It's publication day for WHAT TO SAVE AND WHY! A book for anyone and everyone who has ever cared about saving something. I hope you enjoy! #philsky www.amazon.com/What-Save-Wh...

It's publication day for WHAT TO SAVE AND WHY! A book for anyone and everyone who has ever cared about saving something. I hope you enjoy! #philsky www.amazon.com/What-Save-Wh...

Out Oct. 1 #philsky